Runningfox's Punishment
by Blizzardwhisper
Summary: This story is about Runningfox, and his discoveries and adventures in the Dark Forest! Enjoy!
1. The Beginning

Runningfox awoke, darkness clouding his thoughts as he yawned and got up. The trees drooped, the leaves brushing against the blood stained ground as the flowers lay wilted and dead.

This wasn't StarClan at all. Runningfox had remembered he had died when he was drowned. The tom could almost taste the salty water, and he could make out waves lapping at his pelt.

The silver tabby tom shook away the thought. He then recognize the drab pelt of Pebblestar.

Skidding towards him, Runningfox sped up, finally reaching the former leader, who was creeping around the gloomy shrubs, which lay in the forest, faint blood marks splattered on the brown leaves.

Runningfox opened his mouth to speak, but Pebblestar beat him to it. The retired leader's teeth were stained with fresh blood that reeked of death.

"Hello, Runningfox. Welcome to The Place Of No Stars. You were an evil cat, so you are now here." Pebblestar meowed.

Runningfox gasped. "Surprised? I don't get why you are, you drowned 5 loner kits in your lifetime." The gray tom grumbled, a deep growl following. "I know, but this is my punishment? I can't believe this!" The skinny silver tabby tom muttered.

Squeaks of panic and whimpers of helplessness roared in Runningfox's mind, and all his other thoughts vanished as he fought to get the kit mewls and squeaks out of his head.

Runningfox thought it would be the end of his pain when he died, but no, it had only begun for him. Everything was different.

The plants were lifeless and sad, the cats were blood stained and evil, and the floors of the Dark Forest were splattered with cat blood. Nothing moved, other than cats, which stalked around the grounds and fought with each other. Would anything ever be the same?

"Well anyways, you might want to meet the other cats that prowl around here." Pebblestar swatted Runningfox with his claws.

Runningfox snapped out of his thoughts, and nodded his head briefly before Pebblestar began to bound towards 5 cats, which were creeping towards eachother.

"I would hate to stop you when you're trying to attack each other, however, a new cat has joined our boundaries. This is Runningfox." Pebblestar sat down, and his ragged pelt lay flat.

The cats paused, and glared at Pebblestar before stopping the session. The cats sat down, and one licked their lips swiftly. Pebblestar got up and began to name the cats. "He's Meadowbranch, she's Hollypounce, she's Spiderfang, he's Swallowfoot, and she's Squirrelstep." Another cat was pouncing around, and Pebblestar turned his head.

"He's Emberwhisper, oh, he's Redwillow, she's Flowerblaze, our founder, he's Echofur, she's Splashstorm, and he's Ripplewillow." Pebblestar then stalked off, but mewed something over his shoulder. "Don't expect every cat to be so chit chatty to you anymore though. We cats don't fight together."

Pebblestar's tail tip disappeared into the shadows, and Runningfox was left alone. The other cats were gone, and he decided to nap for a bit. Runningfox padded towards a gloomy tree, and sat down underneath it's dying leaves. The silver tabby closed his eyes, shifted his weight, and fell asleep.

A brighter forest surrounded him. Runningfox couldn't believe he was dreaming, now that he was dead. Starry cats surrounded him. However, one cat was padding towards him, the cat's head held high.

"You have done too many wrong things. You do not deserve to be a StarClan cat. This is your punishment... Runningfox." Runningfox let out a whimper as the cats vanished, becoming stars that glistened in the moonlight as they flew upwards into the moon.

This was his punishment, and he could not change it.

 _Author's Notes_

 _This is my first story, and I hope you like it! If you have critique for me, then please make sure you aren't just screaming at me! I greatly appreciate real critique, so please give me some to help me improve! :)_


	2. A Visitor

Runningfox stretched his legs. He had been a Dark Forest Cat for a week now, and was getting used to the depressing trees and shrubs that surrounded him.

Squirrelstep flew past him, his fur getting ruffled from the brief wind. Stalking towards a tree, he clawed his way up towards the slick branches that poked out like stiff, bald tails. The silver tabby tom stretched his paws forward, getting a grip on a branch. Runningfox ripped at the wood, and finally dragged himself onto the twig.

The tom heaved, and fell down, making the branch shake. Runningfox forced himself upwards, and began to trudge towards the edge of the wood. He could see cats far apart from each other as they prowled around the dull forest, that seemed dead everytime Runningfox opened his eyes.

Runningfox sighed. The Dark Forest was so very drab. No cat worked together! Was he really meant to be in The Place Of No Stars? Sure, he drowned a few kits, but it was on accident! Well, maybe it was. But that's not the point! Runningfox was never _really_ evil, right?

The silver tabby just couldn't get over how the cats he lived with didn't work together, and didn't help each other. This wasn't the place he wanted to be in! He always wanted to be a good cat. Runningfox thought that he had a pretty clean record, not including the dead kits.

No, Runningfox deserved it. The poor kits didn't know any better! He was so stupid flinging the young cats into the water. He remembered their legs flailing around. Why would he do such a thing? Runningfox was a monster. He threw himself down onto the ground, his legs shaking and his tail drooping like a dying plant.

The silver tabby trudged towards the border. The rustling of prey caught Runningfox's attention. He stepped over the border. Wait, what was he doing? This was StarClan's hunting grounds. Stepping back, the silver tabby flew like the wind back into the Dark Forest, hoping no cats saw his mistake.

Pebblestar was creeping around a shrub, which held crow-food. Runningfox then stopped. Heaving, he jerked forward, and then gasped for breath. The silver tabby scrambled upwards after that, and Pebblestar was glaring at him as the former leader vanished into the dead bush. Runningfox bit his lip before bounding away.

Another mistake, another mistake he wouldn't learn from. The silver tabby tom turned around, making sure no cat was near the border, specifically a cat from StarClan.

Wait, was that a kit? It seemed to move forward. Closer and closer it came. That was a StarClan kit! What was it doing there? Runningfox flinched as it pranced around, playing with the dead shrubs and rolling over every once in a while.

Runningfox couldn't take it. He padded towards the kit, until his shadow fell over the starry ball of fluff. "Why are you here? This is The Place Of No Stars. You must leave." The silver tabby pointed his tail towards the border.

"No way! I wanna stay here. It's cool! StarClan is too busy doing stuff, and Ducktail won't play with me. Will you?" The kit asked. Runningfox hesitated before opening his mouth. "No. Leave now." The kit grunted. "Please! My name is Bluebellkit. What's yours?" Bluebellkit squeaked. Runningfox sighed. "I'm Runningfox."

Bluebellkit nodded. "Now will you play with me?" She let out a whine, which made Runningfox give up. "Fine.." The starry kit jumped up. "Oh goody! Can we play a game I made up? It's called Rogues Attack! I'll be a warrior, and you can be the rogue! Then, we'll switch roles!" Bluebellkit explained. Runningfox nodded. "Okay. I'll start at that shrub." The silver tabby stalked towards it before nodding in signal to start the game.

The starry kit nodded back, and then he began to bound forward. Bluebellkit noticed at once, and yelped in warning. Runningfox pretended to flinch before letting out a growl. "This is my territory now!" The silver tabby couldn't help letting a purr rise from his throat. Forcing it down, he let fake hostility cloud his gaze.

"Never!" Bluebellkit pounced, and Runningfox let out a hiss of frustration. The starry kit nipped his leg, and the silver tabby pretended to fall down, defeated. "Oh no! Let me go, please!" Runningfox begged. Bluebellkit sighed. "Okay, okay." The starry kit waved her tail in goodbye as the silver tabby trudged off behind a tree stump.

"Time to switch roles!" Bluebellkit exclaimed. "I don't think so, kit." A growl rose from somewhere in the forest, and Echofur stepped out from some dying brambles. "Leave now, this is The Place Of No Stars." Hostility fired at Bluebellkit and she squeaked before running off, and Echofur just grunted before whipping around and stalking off.

"Oh." Runningfox murmured. The silver tabby's head poked out from the stump as he watched his new friend trudge back into StarClan's side of the territory.

Whatever happened, that was the only fun Runningfox had seemed to have in ages, even if it was supposed to be forbidden from happening. But what can he say, Runningfox isn't perfect!

 _Author's Notes_

 _Thank you to_ _oZzoZzo for pointing out I had spelled recognized incorrectly. It was a typo, but thanks for pointing it out! Also, thank you for complimenting my typing!_


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